Our Chicago Blackhawks are bringing home the Lord Stanley Cup and Chi-town will celebrate their homecoming with a glorious parade downtown. All season I would write Go Hawks, but now we want them back home. The championship games were absolutely stellar and the Hawks truly earned this trophy. The Philadelphia Flyers were outstanding and the goalies on both teams are to be commended. Captain Jonathan Toews is awarded MVP and his Co-Captain Kane brought in the winning goal in overtime. So much drama - but this is the good kind! This young team has many more years to bring it home, and they will, for they remind me of all the other winning games in years past; they played together, not depending on any one superstar player. The best part of participating in the energies is when my sister Carrie called me with 3 minutes to go, for the Hawks were leading 3 - 2, and I heard her frantically panting about the heart attacks in her house when all of a sudden the Flyers scored and tied the game, taking away the lead and possible chance to begin our celebrations. She immediately said "I'm not calling you ever again" and hung up. How dare we whammy our boys? I phoned her back after the game and we continued our cheers. Girls get excitedly nutso, too.
Chicago can boast the 1985 Superbowl Championship thanks to the Bears, 6 Basketball Championships in the 90's thanks to the Bulls, 2005 Baseball Championship by our beloved White Sox and today the Stanley Cup Hockey Championship won by the Blackhawks.
The thing about winning such awards is very special to Chicagoans because we don't do it that often, so we cherish the special moments when we do. Fans cheer their teams all year and when we come close to participating even in the playoffs, the energies are high intensity. People need a purpose to bring them closer and sports does the trick. It is an icebreaker for strangers to discuss on the street. I wore the Blackhawks jacket quite a bit and everywhere I went, someone commented on the games. Historically, sports was a healer for hard times, offering hope in a desperate world. Think back to all the boxing matches during the World Wars. Broddick was a hero for us way back then. Seabiscuit brought us a Cinderella story we could cling to as well. Sports helps us to heal when all is awry in our tiny places. We can escape for a little while and forget about our money problems and any issues comsuming our threat to happiness. Even if we are not die-hard sports fans and jump on the bandwagon during the finals, we all still band together to root for our teams. Comraderie at its best.
Thank you, Blackhawks, for giving us a nail-biting, memorable thrill and bringing excitement to our little lives.
baby birdies
On another note, just as the final game began, I went to dump some trash in the recycle bin and noticed something move on the ground. After looking closer, I found these three baby birds directly underneath where their parents, Showy and Mrs. Showy, built their annual nest. Many times we have been unfortunate to find wee ones that did not make it, or fell out of their nests, but these babies are almost ready to go on their own. After panicking on facebook to get advice, we heard the parents chirping like mad dogs to the babies and my aunt suggested they will continue to feed them, even if they are not in the nest. After a while, things calmed down, but I was out of sorts for the first two segments of the game. They are chirping again this morning and I witnessed mama feeding one bird back in the nest and no sign of birdies on the ground, so hopefully all will work out. Nature does that, you know.
Today I have the pleasure of a peaceful morning all to myself. Wayne's working his final day before vacation; Dan's taking his final test, completing his year at DePaul; and Steve's enjoying the Sand Dunes with his friends. These moments are far and few between these days, so I indulge in the quiet and focus on getting things organized and ready to roll at my own pace. xo
Dear God,
I surrender to You my striving,
I let go all need to effort or to struggle.
I relax deeply into things exactly as they are.
I accept life, that it might move through me
with grace.
Amen.
